The way back to the temple was filled with rubble and smoke. With the sun almost gone from the horizon, Tom knew that in a few moments, he would be in near darkness. But that didn't worry him as much as his arm did. The skin was tender against the 'bandage' he had wrapped around it, and he knew that it would only hurt him more if he let it be. So his first priority would be to get that checked out. Then he would go to Dianite. Hopefully the god wouldn't notice that Rupert was gone for a couple of days. That would buy him some time for an alibi.

Ducking into a half-destroyed house, he rested against one of the remaining walls, hidden in the shadows. With a shaking hand, he pulled the bandage away from his arm. Grimacing at the blistered skin, he pulled a small vial out of his pocket. It wasn't much, but the small health potion would help with some of the pain. His heart beat quickly in his chest, and he tugged the lid off of the vial with his teeth. Spilling it down his arm, he let his head tip back as the skin on his forearm started to tingle and heal. It still hurt, but it was better than before. Re-wrapping it, he let his heart rate slow down, and watched as the sun slipped below the horizon. The city was still, if only for a moment, and Tom took solace in the brief moment of peace.

However, it didn't last long. The sound of rubble being pushed through came from close by, and Tom froze, his heart beating in his ears. Someone was still here? Most of the Ianitee's would have fled the city by now. A Dianitee, maybe? But it wouldn't make sense for them to be here, of all places. He wasn't even near the city centre, or any major roads. Listening intently, he could make out the barest hint of a whispered conversation.

"-this way. Yes, of course I remember the way." Tom blinked, the voice sounding all too familiar to him. His mouth went dry, and he almost felt like passing out and weeping at the same time. Katherine was here. Oh gods, Katherine was still here. He let out a silent breath, thanking the gods that she was still alive. He should say something, no, he needed to say something, anything to them. Anything to hear Jordan's laugh again, to see Katherine smile at him again.

Exiting the shadows, he moved towards the voices of Jordan and Katherine. There was a small flash of light, and Tom followed it. It had to be her. It had too. As he turned a corner into a small room, the tip of a sword pressed against his neck, stopping Tom in his tracks. Katherine's eyes widened as they met each other's eyes, and they were both silent for a moment.

"We have to stop meeting like this." Tom smiled weakly at Katherine as she took a step backwards, her sword falling from his neck down to her side. Swallowing, Tom raised his hands, his sword in its sheath. Her sword clattered against the ground, a jarringly loud sound in the small space, and she rushed forwards. She wrapped her arms around him, and they stayed like that for a moment. They rocked for a few moments, before Katherine pulled away, her eyes red.

"Tom-" Katherine let out a choked noise and grabbed his collar, pulling him towards her. Tom let out a gasp as she kissed him hard, one hand grasping at the back of his neck, the other still firmly gripping his collar. They broke apart and Tom swallowed, face flushed. Neither of them said anything for a moment, and Tom wondered how she managed to look so good in her armour (of course she looked good in her armour. It was Katherine, for god's sake).

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Ianitee camp?" Tom said quietly, reaching forwards to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. She bit her lip, leaning her cheek into his hand before responding. Her skin was so soft. Was he a creep for noticing that?

"I came with Jordan to get Rupert out." Tom blinked, still mesmerized by her. It took his brain a few minutes to catch up with her, but when it did, he felt his heart skip a beat.

"Jordan's here?" Tom glanced around eagerly. Screw meeting with Dianite. He actually gave a shit about this. He hadn't talked with anyone but Furia, Dianite and Rupert for months. Katherine smiled at him sheepishly, her hand tracing the Dianitee symbol pressed into the breastplate of his armour.

"He was just behi-"

"Katherine!" Jordan stumbled through one of the half caved in doorways, panting heavily. Tom swallowed as he noticed the way Jordan's armour clung to his body. It was almost skin tight. Damn, they both looked so good. Why did he get stuck with the gross steel armour. "I-I almost lost you and-" Jordan glanced upwards and stopped, his mouth hanging open.

"I found him." Katherine smiled at Jordan. Jordan took a few steps to close the gap between them, and Tom found himself reaching for Jordan. Katherine spilled out of his grasp as Jordan cupped his face, mouth meeting his. Jordan grunted, tilting his head and slipping a hand down to firmly grasp at Tom's hip, and Tom relished in the feeling of Jordan's beard scratching against his face. They parted, and Tom smiled as Jordan planted a series of kisses across his jaw. He felt so good. He had missed this - Missed them, really. They filled a hole inside of him that made him feel whole. Complete.

"Fuck, Tom I- " Jordan held him tightly, pressing his face into Tom's neck, breathing deeply for a few moments. Over Jordan's shoulder, Tom saw Katherine smiling at the two of them, meeting his eyes and winking.

"You look fucking gorgeous together." She said, smirking slightly as Tom flushed. Jordan pulled away from Tom, pouting slightly. He huffed, one arm wrapped around Tom's waist.

"And I haven't even seen either of you kiss." Jordan scowled at her, but his eyes were bright, and happy. Katherine just shook her head, laughing and pulling Tom over too her again. Tom found himself being willingly pulled, ending up on the floor with Katherine on his lap. He pulled her close to him, forehead pressing against her neck. Her hands tangled into his hair, and Tom regretted getting it cut again. Dianite wanted it short, but he liked the feeling of someone's hands in his hair.

Tom parted his mouth to say something, but instead found his lips being covered by Katherine's. He let his eyes flutter shut, instead focusing on how good her mouth felt against his. Jordan's hand joined Katherine's and he let out a groan, trying to lean into both of their touches at the same time. As Katherine and him broke apart, Tom let out a breathy laugh.

"How is it that both of you look so goddamn good in armour?" He shook his head, watching as Katherine and Jordan shared a smile. Jordan pressed a chaste kiss under his ear, and Katherine shifted off of his lap. He cringed when she grasped his forearm, mouth forming a thin line. She frowned at the bandage, fingers gently tracing across it carefully. Jordan pressed their shoulders together, and Tom's hand found his. They sat like that for a moment, and Tom longed for it to last forever. There were bells ringing in the distance, and Tom closed his eyes, praying that he wouldn't cry.

"We-"

"I know." Tom said, his voice cracking. He swallowed, a bitter taste in his mouth, and tried again. "I know." He said, quieter than before. He looked between them, memorizing their faces, their touch. Jordan moved first, hand cupping his jaw with a tenderness that made Tom's heart ache. Leaning into his touch, Tom let Jordan kiss him, this time slow, and methodical. Like he wanted Tom to remember the taste of him, the way his mouth felt. When he moved back, Katherine took his place, mouth softer but fast, eagerly chasing the last moments they likely had together.

All three of them stood, and Tom let his touches linger, let himself remember every detail of this meeting. Jordan pressed kisses to his knuckles, and Tom let out a weak laugh when Katherine pressed kisses to every inch of skin she could reach. In the distance, the bells tolled again, and the trio reluctantly drew away from one another.

"Wait." Tom said, his hand reaching out to grasp Katherine's. She turned back to him, and he let out a shaky breath. "Rupert's near the camp. Probably there already." Katherine straightened, her eyes fierce. "He's... I couldn't stop him." Tom let himself cry a little, watching as Katherine processed everything.

"It's ok Tom." She replied after a moment. Her eyes were wet, but she was smiling. "Thank you, Tom. It's not your fault." Tom paused for a moment, feeling a weight lift off of his shoulders. Oh. She didn't hate him.

"If-" Tom coughed, and great, now they were both looking at him expectantly. He'd better get this out quickly. "If... If I had asked you to go out with me, when we were in my room together." He glanced between the two of them, speaking to Katherine, but really, meaning both of them. "Would you have said yes?" He spoke quietly, watching their faces nervously. Jordan smiled at him shyly, and Katherine bit her lip, her mouth threatening to pull itself into a grin.

"Of course Tom. Of course."

///

me rn:

anyways, it's been almost a year (yikers) since i last updated. i got really burnt out writing this (this is the sixth time ive written this chapter lmao) anyone else still interested in this? also, sorry i haven't been active on wattpad. i'll try to be on here more, and putting up some more chapters for this in the near future. probably longer ones too.